China + Bars and clubs | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/china+bars
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Mon, 03 Aug 2015 01:08:20 GMT2015-08-03T01:08:20Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Shanghai's French Quarter: neighbourhood watchhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/dec/20/shanghai-french-quarter-neighbourhood
Shanghai's former French Concession has a new je ne sais quoi – with cafes and bistros serving up a very Gallic atmosphere<p>A century after Shanghai's French Concession – with its art-deco residences, high-society dancehalls and plane trees shipped from France – became know as the &quot;Paris of the Orient&quot;, the leafy district is striving to reclaim its Gallic&nbsp;joie de vivre. The handsome 1920s mansions and secret walled gardens from the city's previous boom period house a growing population of French entrepreneurs focused on a renaissance.</p><p>&quot;The neighbourhood feels like a French country village,&quot; says Shanghai restaurateur Franck Pecol. Hailing from Marseille, Pecol opened&nbsp;his eponymous bistro <a href="http://www.franck.com.cn/" title="">Franck</a> in 2007 in a peaceful side street courtyard known as Ferguson Lane.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/dec/20/shanghai-french-quarter-neighbourhood">Continue reading...</a>ShanghaiCity breaksChinaBars and clubsRestaurantsFrench food and drinkTravelFri, 20 Dec 2013 21:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/dec/20/shanghai-french-quarter-neighbourhoodPRLa Pétanque, ShanghaiPRLa Pétanque, ShanghaiAmy Fabris-Shi2013-12-20T21:00:09ZTop 10 bars and clubs in Hong Konghttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/jul/04/top-10-bars-clubs-hong-kong
Local writer <strong>Christopher DeWolf</strong> picks the best bars and clubs in Hong Kong, from an underground artists' hangout to a gastropub and A-lister hotel bar with panoramic city views<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/series/hong-kong-city-guide"><strong>• As featured in our Hong Kong city guide</strong></a><p>If you think Hong Kong's skyline is impressive, wait until you see it from 30 floors up. Recent years have seen a proliferation of rooftop bars with sweeping views over the city. One of the best vantage points is Eyebar, a lofty space decorated in contemporary chinoiserie – check out the turquoise and gold patterned floors – and attached to the Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Nanhai No 1. Massive double-height windows look over neon-festooned skyscrapers, the spiny ridge of mountains on Hong Kong Island and tiny little boats zipping with determination through Victoria Harbour. Order a Grape Expectations – lime, lemongrass, gin and a basil leaf – and enjoy the peanuts spiced with Sichuan pepper. Then take a few minutes to peep through the telescope installed next to the window. <br />• <em>30F, iSquare, 63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, +852 2487 3988, </em><a href="http://www.elite-concepts.com/eatplusdrink.php?id=90" title=""><em>elite-concepts.com</em></a><em>. Open 11.30am-late</em></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/jul/04/top-10-bars-clubs-hong-kong">Continue reading...</a>Hong KongBars and clubsFood and drinkTravelChinaCity breaksAsiaTop 10sShort breaksFood & drinkWed, 04 Jul 2012 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/jul/04/top-10-bars-clubs-hong-kongFlickrPhotograph: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heymreric/4881088061/">hey mr. eric on Flickr</a>/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147">All right reserved</a> Photograph: FlickrPRChristopher DeWolfPhotograph: Christopher DeWolfPRFlickrPhotograph: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smurfmatic/4080095607/">Cedric Sam on Flickr</a>/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147">All rights reserved</a> Photograph: FlickrTommy Au/FlickrAnti-Flag on stage at Hidden Agenda. Photograph: <a href="http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommyauphoto/6822535343/">Tommy Au on Flickr</a>/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147">All rights reserved</a> Photograph: Tommy Au/FlickrPRChristopher DeWolfPhotograph: Christopher DeWolfKim Bacon/PRPhotograph: Kim BaconPRHonk Kong from above...Eyebar in KowloonPREyebarChristopher DeWolf2012-07-04T11:00:00ZBejing to Shanghai: a train for two citieshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jul/01/beijing-shaghai-china-bullet-train
Today's launch of a new high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai is yet another example of the country's accelerated development. But you can still get a flavour of old China in both cities, from a Hutong hotel in Beijing to a retro bar in Shanghai's French concession<p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jul/01/beijing-shaghai-china-bullet-train">Continue reading...</a>ChinaBeijingShanghaiTravelHotelsRestaurantsBars and clubsCultural tripsRail travelFri, 01 Jul 2011 13:02:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jul/01/beijing-shaghai-china-bullet-trainPicasa/Tom O'MalleyAll Beijing photograph: Tom O'MalleyTom O'MalleyTom O'MalleyTom O'MalleyTom O'MalleyPRPei MansionPRCotton's, ShanghaiPRPRPei MansionTom O'Malley and Gary Bowerman2011-07-01T13:02:00ZTessa Thorniley samples Shanghai's live music scenehttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/mar/21/shanghai-jazz-bars-china-music
After a long hibernation, the live music scene is thriving in China's hippest city, with a host of new jazz and blues clubs<p>Standing next to a white piano, between the colonial pillars of a dimly lit lounge on Shanghai's Bund, Coco Zhao purrs into his microphone. &quot;All you couples at the back, come closer!&quot; he says, drawing listeners around him for a playful but assured rendition of Cole Porter's songbook. Dressed in black, with an impish trilby, Coco is the face of Shanghai's jazz renaissance, a sudden blooming of live music after decades of hibernation under communist rule.</p><p>Jazz clubs are multiplying across the city at a rate not seen since the decadent 1930s, when Shanghai was Asia's most glamorous city, bustling with everything from big band dancehalls to Viennese showgirls. Once again, Shanghai is an essential stop on the circuit. George Benson and Al Jarreau recently wowed Chinese audiences at a sell-out, one-off gig at the 1,600-seater Yun Feng Theatre, while late last year Gilles Peterson, the British world music and acid jazz DJ, drew a large crowd at the annual JZ music festival organised by the city's most committed jazz venue, the <strong>JZ Club </strong>(<a href="http://www.jzclub.cn">jzclub.cn</a>).</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/mar/21/shanghai-jazz-bars-china-music">Continue reading...</a>ShanghaiBars and clubsCultural tripsChinaFestivalsMusicJazzTravelSat, 21 Mar 2009 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/mar/21/shanghai-jazz-bars-china-musicAlamyNice ... Jazz band plays at JZ Club, Shanghai. Photograph: AlamyAlamyJazz band plays at JZ Club, Shanghai Photograph: AlamyTessa Thorniley2009-03-21T00:01:00ZMitch Moxley on China's thriving gay communityhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/28/gayandlesbiantravel.china
Only a decade ago homosexuality was officially a 'hooligan act' in China, but today the gay community is thriving and open enough to welcome visitors<p>Across the street from the megaclubs at the west gate of Beijing's Workers' Stadium, a subtle neon sign marks the entrance to <strong>Destination</strong> (0086 10 6551 5138, <a href="http://www.bjdestination.com">bjdestination.com</a>), the city's leading gay bar. Inside the bunker-like interior, several dozen young men, mostly Chinese with a sprinkling of foreigners, sit on red and grey sofas sipping cocktails and eating watermelon slices. A Paula Abdul video plays on two flatscreen televisions, followed by the Pussycat Dolls. About 100 people will filter in and out of here tonight, a Thursday in mid-June, says club manager Jimmy Zhang. He adds that the club is packed at weekends - and will be even busier once the dance floor expansion is completed next month. </p><p>The rise of China's gay community is astonishing when you consider that homosexuality wasn't removed from the list of &quot;hooligan acts&quot; until 1997, and it wasn't until 2001 that it was no longer classified as a mental disorder. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/28/gayandlesbiantravel.china">Continue reading...</a>Gay and lesbian travelChinaBars and clubsTravelFri, 27 Jun 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/28/gayandlesbiantravel.chinaPRBeijing games ... in the pink in ChinaPRBeijing games...a gay tourist in ChinaMitch Moxley2008-06-27T23:01:00ZChina special: Tales of two citieshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/feb/02/china.beijing
Arriving in Beijing or Shanghai - two of the biggest, busiest and most exciting metropolises in the world - is daunting. So we asked local writers for a few tips<p>With so many itineraries starting in Beijing or Shanghai, visitors can get two very different first impressions of China. Beijing (literally &quot;northern capital&quot;) has been the political centre for over 600 years, but has only recently acknowledged its heritage; traditional buildings from the pre-communist past, once dismissed as imperialist embarrassments, have been renovated to lure tourist dollars and the Forbidden City recently lost its Starbucks: a modernist step too far. Beijing residents who lived through the tumultuous 20th century are often baffled by foreigners' interest in it - the wide-open space of Tiananmen Square, the ghoulish piety of Mao's Mausoleum and the dank, dripping shadows of the Underground City fallout shelters are all popular with out-of-towners. </p><p>Beijing food has echoes of the city's multicultural past, with noodles or dumplings preferred to rice. Don't miss the chance to check out the last remaining hutongs. A few of these old-style Manchu enclaves survived Mao-era demolition, but might still fall victim to Olympic hotel bulldozers.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/feb/02/china.beijing">Continue reading...</a>ChinaBeijingShanghaiAsiaTravelBars and clubsHotelsShopping tripsCultural tripsSat, 02 Feb 2008 17:33:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/feb/02/china.beijingShock of the new ... Hotel Kapok has a translucent shellJonathan Clements2008-02-02T17:33:22ZInsider's guide to Beijinghttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2008/jan/31/beijing.china
Spend a day and a night touring the top spots in the city with Chun Sue, author of Beijing Doll <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2008/jan/31/beijing.china">Continue reading...</a>BeijingChinaBars and clubsFri, 01 Feb 2008 13:07:38 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2008/jan/31/beijing.chinaLane Crawford mall in Beijing. Photograph: Dan ChungGuardian Staff2008-02-01T13:07:38ZPaul Oakenfold on clubbing in Chinahttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/aug/26/china.bars
A trip to Ibiza 20 years ago helped Paul Oakenfold reinvent dance music, but he says clubbers in search of new thrills should head for China<p>For 20 years, I've been travelling around the world as a DJ: Thailand, Columbia, Chile, India, Israel, Malaysia, Miami - you name it, I've played there. Going to all these countries - and through the contacts you make there - you seem to build up an idea of what place is happening at a particular time. And right now, nowhere is more exciting than China.</p><p>I've been going to China every year now for more than a decade. I was there for the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. Everyone was in a state of high panic, thinking there was going to be drastic change overnight, with tanks and soldiers sweeping in from the outskirts of town. I was working, playing a set rounding off a party for 10,000 people in Kowloon Bay. There was an air of chaos and pandemonium, and then, just like the millennium bug, nothing happened. The morning dawned and things continued pretty much as they were. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/aug/26/china.bars">Continue reading...</a>TravelChinaBars and clubsBeijingShanghaiElectronic musicAsiaMusicCultureDance musicSun, 26 Aug 2007 12:25:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/aug/26/china.barsDance revolution ... clubs, such as this on in Beijing, are leading the way. Photograph: AlamyPaul Oakenfold and Tom Pattinson in Beijing2007-08-26T12:25:52Z